Systematic Leader

Karl Staib
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I interview experts in their fields so you can learn and apply their frameworks to your business. You can learn from the best. Leaders need processes and systems to make good decisions. The Systematic Leader podcast interviews leaders (CEOs, Authors, and Enterpreneurs). They share their best systems so you can make better decisions in your business. Hi, I'm Karl Staib. The creator of the Systematic Leader method. I struggled for years with making quality decisions because I didn't have quality systems in place. Once I developed routines that worked for my personality type, that's when my business took off. I hope you enjoy the podcast, and if you have any questions, just reach out at SystematicLeader.co.

  1. 1D AGO

    Why Your Best Employees Feel Invisible with Justin Banner

    When Justin Banner's company hired their second salesperson, everything fell apart. Not because the new hire was incompetent, but because there was no system. No documented process. No clear path from prospect to close. The sales team was flying blind, and Banner realized something critical: What isn't documented, can't be scaled. But here's the twist most business leaders miss: your sales team isn't the only one struggling in the dark. The Celebration Gap That's Killing Your Culture Picture your last team celebration. Chances are, it was for hitting a sales milestone. Maybe your top salesperson closed a big deal. Maybe you exceeded quarterly revenue targets. The sales team got the spotlight, the applause, the recognition. Now picture your operations team. Your QA specialists. Your developers. Your fulfillment crew. When was the last time they got celebrated? This isn't just about fairness, it's about retention. Banner discovered that operational teams often feel like second-class citizens because their wins don't come with a built-in scoreboard. A salesperson knows exactly when they've won. But when does a QA analyst "win"? When does a developer deserve applause? The solution: Create specific, measurable celebration triggers for every team. At Banner's company, the QA team celebrates after 15 defect-free website launches. Developers earn recognition when post-launch complaints drop below a certain threshold. When these milestones hit, the entire company stops for an impromptu celebration: lunch, games, genuine recognition. The message is clear: Excellence matters everywhere, not just in sales. The Priority Problem Nobody's Talking About Here's a scenario that plays out in small businesses every single day: Two departments both claim their project is "urgent." Leadership says everything is important. Team members make their own judgment calls. Nothing gets finished well. Sound familiar? Banner's solution is brutally simple: a documented, ranked priority list reviewed every Monday in leadership meetings. Not a vague strategic plan, a crystal-clear roadmap where Priority 1 gets 60% of team time, Period. The genius isn't in having priorities. It's in documenting them so thoroughly that your team never has to guess. Why Your Annual Values Exercise Is Failing Most companies spend hours crafting mission statements and core values that sound impressive on the wall but mean nothing on Monday morning. Banner tried that approach. It didn't work. His breakthrough? Replace everything with one memorable mantra that changes annually. This year's mantra: "Evolve." Not because it sounds good, but because the company was facing significant changes and needed a North Star that would reduce resistance. The team proposed options. They voted. They owned it. One word. Constantly reinforced. Actually used in daily decisions. That's more powerful than ten values nobody remembers. The AI Integration Nobody's Forcing Here's what doesn't work: Mandating AI adoption. Here's what does: Monthly training lunches led by internal AI champions who share success stories. Like the developer who optimized 100 lines of code down to 15 using AI. Banner uses AI daily for brainstorming, drafting, and iteration. His team adopts it at their own pace. The key? Provide tools and permission, then let success stories spread organically. The bottom line: Systems aren't about control. They're about clarity. They're about ensuring your operations team gets the same recognition as your sales stars. They're about making sure everyone knows what "winning" looks like, and actually celebrating when it happens. Because what gets documented gets scaled. What gets measured gets improved. And what gets celebrated gets repeated.

    43 min

  2. JAN 20

    Transform Your Business with this Mindset Shift

    What if the biggest obstacle to your business growth isn't your systems, your team, or your market—but the stories you're telling yourself? Adam Coelho discovered this truth at one of the lowest points in his career. Facing the prospect of losing his job at Google, he could have spiraled into panic and desperation. Instead, he made a choice that changed everything: he shifted his mindset and began envisioning new possibilities. The result? He didn't just save his career—he found a role that aligned perfectly with his vision for the future. Your Brain Is Building Your Future Right Now Here's something most business leaders don't realize: your thoughts aren't just passive observations about reality. They're actively creating it. Adam explains the neuroscience behind this phenomenon—how neuroplasticity and the brain's predictive nature mean that the stories we tell ourselves literally shape what we see, what we pursue, and what becomes possible. This isn't feel-good motivation; it's hard science about how our minds work. Beyond Positive Thinking: Practices That Actually Work Adam doesn't just talk about mindset—he provides concrete practices that busy executives can implement: Journaling that goes beyond venting to actively shape your future vision Strategic conversations where you articulate your vision to others, making it more real Affirmations grounded in possibility rather than wishful thinking Visualization that primes your brain to recognize opportunities Mini-experiments that plant seeds for the future you want without requiring massive commitments These aren't add-ons for when you have spare time. They're strategic tools that can shift how you approach every challenge in your business. The Culture System You're Probably Missing In a fascinating turn, the conversation moves from individual mindset to organizational culture. How do you systematize something as intangible as company values? The Feedback Loop That Drives Continuous Improvement One of the most practical parts of our discussion centers on gathering ongoing feedback from clients and participants. Not annual surveys. Not occasional check-ins. Continuous feedback loops that help you improve in real-time. When Envisioning Meets Action Here's where many mindset discussions fall apart: they focus on thinking differently but forget about doing differently. Adam is crystal clear on this point—envisioning isn't about hoping things will magically improve. It's about priming your mind to recognize and act on opportunities that align with your vision. Why This Matters for Service Business Leaders If you're running a service-based business, you're juggling multiple realities: the business you have today, the business you want to build, and all the friction points between the two. You're managing teams, serving clients, handling operations, and trying to find time to think strategically. When Adam was facing that career crisis at Google, he didn't just update his resume. He changed his story. He envisioned new possibilities. He took action aligned with that vision. And the result was better than simply keeping his old job—it was finding a role that actually fit where he wanted to go.

    39 min

  3. JAN 13

    When Growth Outpaces Your Systems with Mikel Daniels

    What happens when you build a thriving medical practice but realize your systems can't keep up with your success? Dr. Mikel Daniels, President of We Treat Feet Podiatry, knows this challenge intimately. Managing over 50 employees across multiple locations while still seeing patients, he's discovered what many growing service business owners face: the very growth you've worked so hard to achieve can become your biggest operational headache. The Feedback Paradox Here's a puzzle that keeps many healthcare executives up at night: You need patient feedback to improve your service, but the patients who respond to surveys are rarely the ones you need to hear from. Dr. Daniels shares the frustrating reality of single-digit response rates and the peculiar challenge of anonymous online reviews that offer criticism without giving you any way to make things right. Even more challenging? When patients do voice concerns in the moment, addressing them requires a delicate dance between medical care and customer service. Dr. Daniels reveals how his team tries to catch issues before they become expensive problems and why this proactive approach doesn't always work as planned. The Geography Problem Try getting 50+ employees together for a meeting when they're spread across multiple locations. Now imagine trying to maintain consistent quality, culture, and communication when you can't simply walk down the hall to check in with your team. This is where most growing service businesses hit a wall. Dr. Daniels discusses how he's built his management structure around this challenge, relying heavily on his VP of Operations to be his eyes and ears. But even with great people in place, the question remains: How do you scale yourself without burning out? The CEO Who Can't Stop Being a Doctor Perhaps the most relatable struggle Dr. Daniels shares is one that transcends healthcare: the founder who can't let go. As both a practicing physician and the CEO/owner, he finds himself pulled in two directions constantly. Should he see patients or handle the financial projections? Should he focus on clinical excellence or business operations? The answer, he's learning, isn't either/or, it's about creating systems that allow you to do both without working yourself into the ground. But how do you make that transition when your expertise (and let's be honest, your passion) lies in the clinical work, not the spreadsheets? The Distance Dilemma Here's a leadership challenge that doesn't get talked about enough: How do you maintain appropriate boundaries with employees who are also professional colleagues? Dr. Daniels shares his thoughtful approach to interacting with his physician staff, knowing when to be the friendly colleague and when to be the employer, making tough business decisions. This balance becomes even more critical as your business grows. The informal communication style that worked with five employees creates chaos with fifty. The open-door policy that made you approachable becomes unsustainable when everyone needs "just five minutes." Technology as the Great Enabler In a fascinating discussion about AI and automation, Dr. Daniels explores how technology could transform his practice's administrative burden. From streamlining documentation to improving patient communication, the possibilities are tantalizing, but so is the challenge of implementation. The real question isn't whether these tools can help, but how to integrate them without disrupting the human-centered care that makes a medical practice successful in the first place.

    45 min

  4. JAN 5

    Why Your Chaos IS a System with Karl Staib

    Ever think you don't have systems in every part of your business? Think again. That's the core insight from my recent conversation with O'Brien McMahon on The People Business Podcast. Whether you realize it or not, the way you run your business is a system, it might just be a chaotic one. O'Brien and I dove deep into what systems thinking actually means and why it's the difference between businesses that scale smoothly and those that stay stuck fighting fires. The Truth About Systems Here's what most people miss: you already have systems. The question isn't whether you have them—it's whether they're designed to get you the results you want. As Charlie Munger said, "Show me the incentives, and I'll show you the results." Your systems create your incentives, and your incentives drive your outcomes. If you're not getting the growth you want or you're watching opportunities slip through the cracks, your systems are telling you exactly what's wrong. The creative who says "the universe tells me what to do" still has a system. Maybe they need a walk before designing. Maybe they journal before going on stage. It's all systems supporting what we're trying to accomplish. Start Where You're Leaking O'Brien shared a brilliant framework I want you to steal: don't rebuild everything from scratch. Instead, ask yourself: Where am I leaking right now? Are you leaking sales opportunities? Energy? Attention to detail? Anxiety? Find your biggest leak, fix that one thing, work it until it becomes habit, then move to the next leak. This iterative approach beats the comprehensive overhaul every single time. The Consistency Advantage Leaders who are clear on their vision and how they execute get consistent results. The chaotic ones? Sometimes they win big, sometimes they don't. The difference comes down to consistency. Your systems should connect your leading indicators to your lagging indicators. Why aren't you growing your email list? Why are customers dropping off at checkout? Your systems will tell you if you've designed them to measure what matters. My Systems Origin Story I learned this from my dad, a German electrician who ran his own business. Everything was systematic—how he set up his day, executed his work, and followed through on billing. I saw it all working alongside him. That gift of systematic thinking is why I named the podcast Systematic Leader. The leaders who understand their systems and execute consistently are the ones who transform their businesses from reactive chaos to proactive growth engines. The Annual Systems Check-Up Here's your homework: step back at least once a year and map how all your systems connect. You'll find systems that aren't working as well as they used to, broken processes, and opportunities to double down on what's working. This exercise shows your team you're not here to do the minimum, you're committed to improving every single day. That standard-setting matters more than you think. Start Where It's Uncomfortable O'Brien nailed it at the end of our conversation: "It's probably gonna be most effective in the area you least wanna do it." The thing you're avoiding? That's probably your biggest opportunity. Don't try to jog eight miles on day one. Build a small system that gets you going for five minutes. Make it routine. Watch the results compound. When you see customers coming back more and referring more because of one small systematic change, that's when you realize: this actually works. Your Next Step Pick one area where you're leaking: time, money, opportunities, or energy. Design one small system to plug that leak. Work it for 30 days. That's how you transform from firefighter to growth engine. Want help identifying where your systems are breaking down? Take the 5-minute Customer Experience Assessment at systematicleader.co and let's find those hidden leaks before they become expensive problems. Thanks you O'Brien McMahon

    57 min

  5. 12/16/2025

    How AI Almost Killed Empathy at This Marketing Agency with Christy Pretzinger

    Most marketing agencies are drowning in AI-generated content. But Christy Pretzinger, CEO of WG Content, discovered something crucial: the more her team used AI, the worse their client relationships became. In this episode of Systematic Leader, Christy reveals the counterintuitive system that helped her 30-person agency balance AI efficiency with genuine human connection—and why she believes the "soft skills" everyone dismissed are about to become your most valuable business asset. What You'll Discover: The Culture System That Actually Works How WG Content uses four core values (kindness, empowerment, curiosity, fun) as decision-making filters, not just wall decorationsWhy monthly employee recognition isn't about being nice. It's about reinforcing the behaviors that drive resultsThe exact process they use to handle difficult client conversations without losing relationships AI Integration Without Losing Your Soul Why tailoring AI's tone for each client is just the beginningThe hidden biases in AI content that are quietly destroying trust with your customersWhere AI consistently fails (and why that failure is actually your competitive advantage) The "Better Quotient" Framework Christy's 3-step system for making better leadership decisions in high-pressure moments:Real example: How she transformed her reactive leadership style using this framework The Skills That Will Matter in 2030 Why empathy, vulnerability, and emotional intelligence are becoming MORE valuable as AI gets betterHow to systematize "soft skills" development in your organizationThe leadership mentor model that helped Christy become a better follower AND a better leader The Bottom Line: As AI handles more of the tactical work, the businesses that win will be the ones that systematize human connection. This episode gives you the exact frameworks to do both, leverage AI for efficiency while building deeper relationships with clients and team members. Perfect for: Service business owners who want to integrate AI without losing the personal touch that made them successful in the first place. Want to build magnetic systems that help you fix issues before they become expensive problems? Book a Systems Jam Session at SystematicLeader.com

    45 min

  6. 12/09/2025

    The Turnaround System That Actually Worked with Ryan Ford

    You inherit a team of 35 people. Morale is in the basement. Processes don't exist. Nobody knows what success looks like. And somehow, you're supposed to turn this around. Most leaders would panic. Ryan Ford built a system. In this episode, Ryan breaks down exactly how he transformed an underperforming team into a high-functioning operation—not through motivation speeches, but through structured systems, clear metrics, and a decision-making framework that stopped making him the bottleneck. The Reality of Inheriting a Broken Team Ryan walked into 35 people with low morale, unclear expectations, and no real processes. The kind of situation where everyone's busy but nothing meaningful gets done. His first move wasn't motivation—it was understanding. Before changing anything, he invested time learning the team dynamics and figuring out where the breakdowns actually happened. The uncomfortable truth: Sometimes the people aren't the problem. The lack of clear expectations and accountability systems is. The LEAF Decision Framework: Stop Being the Bottleneck Here's where most leaders kill their own productivity: they become the decision-maker for everything. LEAF Decisions - Low-impact decisions that don't require leadership approval. If it's a LEAF decision, the team makes the call and keeps moving. How to implement it: Create a decision tree with your team. Map out what requires your input and what doesn't. Give them permission to make LEAF decisions without asking. Then get out of their way. The Turnaround System: Metrics, Accountability, and Cadence Ryan didn't turn around his team with a single meeting. He built a system with three core elements: Clear Metrics: Everyone knew what "good" looked like. No more subjective performance reviews. Accountability Structure: Regular check-ins where progress was reviewed and blockers were identified. Not micromanagement—strategic support. Rapid Adjustment: When the plan wasn't working, they changed it. No ego about sticking to a failing strategy. Real example: Ryan led a critical product launch with tight timelines. He established daily check-ins, tracked progress against milestones, and adjusted when reality didn't match the plan. The product launched successfully because the system caught problems early. From Individual Contributor to System Builder The hardest transition for new leaders: realizing your job is no longer about what you personally accomplish. It's about what your team accomplishes through the systems you build. What Ryan learned to love about leadership: Setting people up for successBuilding cultures where high performance becomes normalCreating teams that function even when he's not in the room Why Systems Beat Heroics Every Time Heroic leaders jump in and save the day. They make all the critical decisions. And they become the ceiling on their team's performance. System-building leaders create frameworks that allow their teams to solve problems without them. They empower LEAF decisions and reserve their energy for choices that actually need their expertise. The result: Teams that perform consistently, not just when the leader is present. The teams that win aren't the ones with superhero leaders. They're the ones with systems that turn ordinary people into high performers. You can learn more about Ryan Ford over on LinkedIn. Want help designing systems that make your business more effective? Let’s talk about creating a customer experience that catches problems early and turns your team into problem solvers. You can join the next Customer Experience Zoom Workshop to find out how to improve your customer experience and get more referrals.

    45 min

  7. 12/02/2025

    How a 7-Figure Coach Builds AI-Powered Systems That Scale with Ryan Musselman

    You know your expertise inside and out. You've got proven processes that deliver real results. But here's the problem: your business only grows as fast as you can personally deliver. Sound familiar? This week's guest, Ryan Musselman, cracked the code on something most service business owners struggle with—creating systems that scale your expertise without making everything feel automated and soulless. The Custom GPT Framework That Saves 15+ Hours Per Week Ryan didn't just throw ChatGPT at his content problem. He built an interconnected ecosystem of custom GPTs that generate stories, case studies, and sales copy that actually sounds human. Here's what makes his approach different: each GPT knows exactly what it's supposed to do, how it should sound, and what outcomes to deliver. The result? Content that scales without sacrificing quality or authenticity. Why Your AI Content Sounds Like a Robot (And How to Fix It) Most business owners try AI once, hate the generic output, and give up. Ryan shares his process for identifying the telltale phrases that scream "this was written by AI" and systematically eliminating them from his system. This isn't a one-time setup—it's a continuous improvement loop that gets better with each iteration. Sound like someone's approach you know? The Onboarding System That Catches Problems Before They're Expensive Here's where it gets really interesting for service businesses: Ryan built a centralized feedback system that gathers client input from day one. No more wondering if your onboarding process has friction points. No more clients silently struggling with parts of your program. Instead, you get immediate visibility into what's working and what needs adjustment—before small issues become big problems that cost you clients. What Actually Matters When You're Building a Business In a refreshingly honest moment, Ryan pulls back the curtain on his personal systems for maintaining perspective. Daily exercise. Journaling. Prayer. These aren't just nice-to-haves—they're the foundation that keeps him from getting lost in the weeds of running a 7-figure coaching business. Because here's the truth: the best systems in the world won't matter if you burn out trying to implement them. The Most Valuable Insight There's no single "right way" to grow a service business. Ryan's systems work brilliantly for him, but the real lesson isn't about copying his exact approach. It's about finding the systems and processes that align with your personality and strengths. Some coaches thrive on intimate, high-touch relationships with a small group of clients. Others excel at scaling through group programs and automation. Both can build highly successful businesses—they just require different systems. Why This Matters for Your Business If you're running a service-based business and feel stuck at your current revenue ceiling, chances are it's not a strategy problem. It's a systems problem. Ryan's approach shows you how to: Leverage AI without losing the human touch that makes your business special Build feedback loops that help you improve continuously Create operational systems that free up your time instead of consuming it Stay grounded in what actually matters while scaling This episode is packed with practical, implementable ideas you can test in your business this week. No fluff. No theory. Just real systems from someone who's already figured out what works at scale. Listen now to discover how to build magnetic systems that help your business grow without requiring you to clone yourself.Want help designing systems that make your business more effective? Let's talk about creating feedback loops that catch problems early and turn your team into problem solvers.Learn more about working together.

    46 min

  8. 11/25/2025

    How AI Can Actually Make Your Service Business More Human (Not Less) with Dan Cumberland

    Most service business owners are asking the wrong question about AI. They're wondering "What can AI do for me?" when they should be asking "How can AI help me understand what my customers really need?" Dan, an AI systems expert who works with founders who refuse to blend in, sat down with us to flip the AI conversation on its head. His background in ministry and psychology gives him a unique lens on technology—one that puts human understanding first and automation second. The Hidden Gold Mine in Your Customer Conversations Here's what keeps most service business owners up at night: They know their customers are telling them valuable things, but there's simply not enough time to capture and act on all those insights. Dan shares how AI can analyze your customer interview transcripts and surface patterns you'd never catch manually—the repeated pain points, the subtle language your customers actually use, the themes that connect seemingly unrelated conversations. This isn't about replacing human judgment. It's about augmenting it so you can actually use all that customer wisdom you're currently leaving on the table. Your AI Project Manager (That Never Takes a Day Off) Forget the hype about AI replacing workers. Dan reveals how he uses AI as a personal project manager to stay organized, track priorities, and document daily wins—essentially creating a second brain that remembers everything you'd otherwise forget in the chaos of running a business. The key? Maintaining control. Dan walks through his process for continuously refining AI systems through "meta-prompting"—having the AI itself suggest improvements to how it serves you. It's like having an assistant who proactively figures out how to be more helpful. Real Results: The Valuation Firm Case Study Theory is nice, but results matter. Dan shares how he helped a valuation company transform their data extraction process from legal documents. The result? Dramatically increased team capacity without hiring. But here's what makes this different from typical automation stories: The AI handled the tedious extraction work so the humans could focus on the high-value analysis and client relationships. The business became more human-centered by letting AI handle the robotic parts. The Bottom Line for Service Business Leaders If you're running a service business, you're sitting on mountains of customer insights and drowning in administrative tasks. Dan's approach shows how AI can help you: Capture and act on customer feedback you're currently missingStay organized and strategic instead of constantly reactiveFree your team to do the work only humans can doScale your capacity without sacrificing the personal touch that makes you valuable The businesses that will win with AI aren't the ones that use it to remove humans from the equation. They're the ones who use it to make their teams more effective at understanding and serving customers. Want to explore how AI could work specifically in your service business? The conversation is just getting started. This episode is essential listening for any service business owner who's drowning in data, struggling to scale, or wondering how to use AI without losing the human touch that built their business.

    39 min
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About

I interview experts in their fields so you can learn and apply their frameworks to your business. You can learn from the best. Leaders need processes and systems to make good decisions. The Systematic Leader podcast interviews leaders (CEOs, Authors, and Enterpreneurs). They share their best systems so you can make better decisions in your business. Hi, I'm Karl Staib. The creator of the Systematic Leader method. I struggled for years with making quality decisions because I didn't have quality systems in place. Once I developed routines that worked for my personality type, that's when my business took off. I hope you enjoy the podcast, and if you have any questions, just reach out at SystematicLeader.co.

Information

  • Creator
    Karl Staib
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    270
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2020 Bring Gratitude
  • Show Website
    Systematic Leader